


How's It Going With Will?

by Genuinelies



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: I am so sorry Will, Jasico - Freeform, M/M, One-sided Will Solace/Nico di Angelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-29 03:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3879799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genuinelies/pseuds/Genuinelies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico and Jason are friends; Will and Nico are friends; but one is not quite like the other. </p><p>A look at the BOO relationships after the end of the books. I wanted to write a Jasico fic that also addresses the Will/Nico dynamic (again, I am so sorry, Will).</p>
            </blockquote>





	How's It Going With Will?

“So how’s it going with Will?” Jason Grace, unsubtle as ever, nudged Nico in the side. The smaller demigod gave him a shove that almost sent him over the edge of the roof.

     “Fine,” Nico narrowed his eyes, then looked to the side when he felt his bravado slipping.

     “No…change in status?” Jason teased.

     “Stop it!” He might have come out to Percy, and by extension, the entire camp, but that didn’t mean he was okay with _talking_ about…things. Anyway, he and Will were friends. Good friends. He could kind of count those on one hand, and he wasn’t about to do anything to change that.

     He wasn’t even sure if he could call his feelings toward Will a crush, anyway. He was attracted to him. He made him feel like he could be himself around him. And it felt really nice to have someone be so interested in his well-being. His few friends and sister cared about him, of course, but it wasn’t with the same level of attentiveness. Will’s focus was borderline parental, but Nico couldn’t quite see a problem with that, after so many years of no one looking after him. There was just something holding him back from feeling a hundred percent into him like _that._

     Would he go out with him if Will asked? In a heartbeat. But Will hadn’t, and Nico wasn’t going to push any boundaries, even if the son of Apollo had come out to him as bi after Nico confessed his own secret.

     “Okay, okay,” Jason didn’t laugh, but he could hear the smile in the blonde’s voice.

     “How are you and Piper?” So sue him if that came out a little sarcastically. Nico couldn’t help himself. Everyone else’s love lives were so perfect it seemed like a joke to even ask. He didn’t resent any of them, per se, but he did resent that it felt like he’d be alone forever, when relationships seemed to come so easily to everyone else.

     Jason’s answer didn’t come as quickly as Nico would have expected. He whipped his head around to look at Jason’s face, only to find him looking down at the camp below instead of contentedly staring at nothing. “Good, of course,” Jason said though, and the moment was gone as he looked up at him with a smile. “Don’t make me gross you out by talking about how good.”

     Nico wrinkled his nose. “Thanks.”

     #

     “Hey, Sunshine,” a familiar cheerful voice greeted him that night by the campfire.

     Nico reluctantly stepped out of the shadows ringing the log benches. Without fail, Will Solace seemed to sense his presence, even when he didn’t want it sensed. He’d had a mission: observe Jason and Piper. Kinda hard to do when he was sitting in the light next to Will, inevitably with Jason and Piper (and Percy and Annabeth and…) all watching _him_. They were freaking obsessed with getting them together. His worst fears hadn’t been realized, everyone pretty much accepted him for who he was, at least the ones who counted. He had a feeling Leo would have had some snarky comments to dish out, but he wasn’t there, and Nico couldn’t even feel satisfied about that because of his lingering guilt. The downside was that with the acceptance also came a fascination, and for someone who spent most of his time trying to remain unnoticed, it was uncomfortable at best.

     “Hey, Will,” Nico said, and sat next to the freckled blonde, who beamed at him in the flickering firelight.

     “Haven’t seen you all day,” Was it his imagination, or had Will scooted closer? No, he had definitely moved closer. Their thighs were touching. Nico’s face heated up and he made his best effort not to move away. “Infirmary’s been a cursed _nightmare_ after capture-the-flag today! Could have taken some pity on me.”

     “Sorry,” Nico said automatically. “I was hanging out with Jason today. We both had to teach and Piper was doing head-counselor stuff.”

     Will’s tanned face showed genuine disappointment, but he was quick to cover it with a smile. “You weren’t overexerting yourself over a game, so that’s all I care about.”

     “It’s been weeks!” Nico protested. “I can totally use my powers now. No disappearing.”

     Will nodded, but he muttered something about relapses. Nico pretended not to hear.

     Across the campfire, the Stoll brothers had started a marshmallow fight that soon turned into a _flaming_ marshmallow fight that Percy Jackson, of all people, stopped by dousing everyone with soda. Maybe it was Percy’s relationship with Annabeth or his experience in Tartarus, but he’d actually become somewhat responsible of late. Somewhat. His arm was bandaged up, which meant he had gotten pretty badly injured capturing flags, or whatever he’d done during the game.

     Will must have tracked Nico’s gaze, because he laughed. “Lou Ellen scared him with a mirage and he pretty much did that to himself falling off a boulder.”

     Beside Percy was Jason, who caught Nico’s expression and gave him and Will a wave. Next to Jason sat Piper, who noticed her boyfriend’s gesture and gave them both a thumbs up. Nico barely suppressed a groan.

     “Aphrodite cabin has been having a field day with us,” Will murmured, unexpectedly saying out loud Nico’s private thoughts. “The two gay guys, sitting together.”

     Mortified, Nico avoided Will’s eyes until he felt a warm hand on his own. Shocked, Nico looked up only to find Will with a teasing smile. “Want to give them something to talk about?”

     Nico stared, and couldn’t quite bring himself to move his hand.

     Something in Will’s face shifted. “…you know, as a prank?”

     Rocks tumbled down Nico’s throat. Was that really what Will had meant? “No.” He pulled his hand away. He couldn’t stand up, it would draw way too much attention to how upset he was. He was barely comfortable admitting he liked guys. Why would he make a joke out of it?

     “I’m sorry,” Will said. “Hey, I’m sorry. I just figured if they’re all talking anyway…”

     “Right,” Nico said. “And when everyone finds out it was fake all along, it’s going to be ‘poor Nico’ all over again.” Finally he did stand up, ignoring all the eyes he felt on him.

     Will stood up too. He at least made the effort to be quiet. “It doesn’t have to be fake.”

     Nico forgot to breathe. “What?” For once, all the other campers faded out of his awareness, and he focused just on Will’s hopeful face.

     “I…yeah.” Will wiped his hands on his shorts nervously. “I just wasn’t sure how you’d feel, so I figured asking you as a…”

     Will was attractive. Will was his friend. What more could he want? Percy fucking Jackson?

     But no. Nico had meant it when he said he was over Percy. That had just been childhood idolization.

     “I really like you,” Will added.

     This should have been everything he wanted.

     …so why were the jitters he was feeling fearful, and not elated? Hadn’t he _just thought_ he’d say yes in this very scenario?

     Will’s shoulders sagged, like he knew what Nico was thinking before he even said it. “Will you at least take me with you so I don’t have to answer all the questions?”

     Nico grabbed Will’s hand, not caring what everyone thought, and took them both through the shadows to the Apollo cabin.

     Nico forced himself to remain still while Will began pacing.

     “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything!” Will cried out finally.

     “I could…try it?” Nico said tentatively. He felt too much sympathy for Will. It was like being himself a year or two ago all over again.

     “No.” Will at least didn’t sound bitter. After a moment he stood still, and then shrugged. “You’re just-I really admire you, Nico, and I feel like I can be myself around you.”

     “Me too,” Nico smiled. “You’ve helped me be myself here. I think you’re my best friend.”

     “Isn’t that Jason?”

     Something cold settled itself over Nico’s shoulders.

     “What?”

     “Isn’t your best friend Jason Grace?”

     “No, we’re…” Nico trailed off, trying to describe why it was different, and couldn’t. “We’re friends, but we’re not that close? I think Percy is his best friend.”

     “They do have a bromance going on.”

     Nico felt suddenly uncomfortable. “Yeah.”

     Will sighed. “I really, really want to make you go out with me like you just offered, but I like you too much to do that. It would just…I feel like it would just break whatever we are.”

     Nico’s face was on fire. This was awful. Suddenly he remembered how many people liked Percy, and wondered if Percy ever felt this way turning someone down. It made him more sympathetic.

     “I’m really sorry, Will,” he finally said.

     “…yeah. Me too. Now let me mope in peace.”

     “…right.” Nico shadow traveled back to his own cabin, where he sat down on his bed, head in his hands, for he didn’t know how long.

#

The next day, Nico tried to stay in his cabin, but it was nothing short of torture without anything to take his mind off of the night before. Also, he knew if he didn’t show his face, one of his fellow campers would show up on his doorstep sooner or later, and then there would be no getting out of that conversation.

     So he went to the training field and practiced on the training dummies there until his arms ached, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to talk to someone.

     Back in his cabin, he Iris-messaged Camp Jupiter. Hazel’s happy face appeared a moment later.

     “Nico!”

     “Hey, sis. How’s it going?”

     “Great! I just got a new filly to train. Frank has been helping, too – he turns into a horse and shows the new recruits how to lead-line!”

     Nico frowned, momentarily distracted from his problems. “He turns into a horse?” He said flatly.

     “Yeah!” She frowned. “It’s not like anyone rides him…although he did eat some hay accidentally the other day without thinking.”

     Nico held up a hand. “Stop. I don’t want to know.”

     Hazel giggled. “So what’s new? How’s…you-know-who.” She winked conspiratorially.

     Ugh, her too? Nico sidestepped the question. “Half the camp got sent to the infirmary yesterday from a really rough game of capture-the-flag, so Will’s been busy.”

     He couldn’t quite stop the flinch when he said his name.

     “Nico, what’s wrong?” Of course Hazel wouldn’t let that slide.

     “He asked me out and I said no,” Nico blurted, waving his hands suddenly.

     “ _What?”_ Hazel shrieked. In the background, Nico heard Frank ask if she was okay. Apparently he didn’t buy her answer because a moment later he appeared in the vision too.

     “Oh, hey, Nico,” Frank said.

     “Hi.”

     “Go away!” Hazel pushed Frank aside. “I mean, I love you, but we have sibling-stuff!”

     Nico raised an eyebrow. Sure, he knew they loved each other, but saying it in front of him was rare. And a little painful, through no fault of theirs.

     Frank laughed and left.

     “What do you mean you said no?” Hazel hissed.

     Nico shrugged.

     “You’re not happy about it,” she pointed out. “Nico…are you sure? I mean, you talk about him all the time. He seems really nice. Are you…are you just afraid?”

     Nico glared at her. She looked contrite. “I’m sorry!”

     He sighed then, shoulders slumping. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

     He couldn’t read her expression. “But why…?”

     “It just doesn’t feel right.”

     Hazel frowned again. “Maybe…maybe you are just worried about it. Maybe you should give him a chance.”

     “I don’t want to hurt him, Hazel.” Nico became agitated.

     “Nico…being turned down hurts. If you really don’t think it’s right, you shouldn’t do it, but if you think you’re just worried about what might happen…”

     Nico bit his lip. “Yeah.”

     But somehow he didn’t think that was it.

     “How’s Reyna?”

     “Good! She got some new demigods to train last week, so she’s really busy. They’re on a field trip right now or of course I’d get her to talk with you, too.”

     They started exchanging news, moving on to safer topics.

#

“So, Aphrodite-girl, do you think they’re together now, or what?”

     Piper looked over at Jason, laying on the grass next to her. Above them the sky was a deep blue with picturesque fluffy clouds drifting by. He was absentmindedly stroking her hand, held between them comfortably.

     “I don’t know,” she said, and she couldn’t help it if it sounded a little testy. Jason had been talking nonstop about Nico and Will since they both shadow traveled away from the campfire the night before. “I’m not psychic, Jason, you know that.”

     He looked back at her then, surprise on his features. “Wow.”

     Piper sighed. “Sorry. I guess I’m just…” But she didn’t know how to finish that sentence, even though it looked like Jason was waiting for her to.

     Jason shrugged, then gave her an easy smile. “We all get cranky.”

     She smiled back. “Yeah. Sorry.”

     Why was he so perfect and understanding 24/7? Not that she wanted to question that.

     Piper didn’t want to question a lot of things about her boyfriend. Every time the little nagging voice at the back of her mind reminded her that they were only together at all because of a trick, she found that ignoring it made it go away. At any rate, Jason seemed happy, and was vehement in his attempts to banish any of those doubts when she gave in and did voice them aloud.

     “It would just be good if he could be happy, you know?” Jason was frowning up at the clouds again. “He deserves that. Pretty much all of us have someone except him.”

     She knew who he meant by “all of us” and really, she agreed. Nico had grown on her, and it saddened her every time he saw him trying to conceal his longing whenever he looked at any of the (many) happy couples at Camp Half-Blood.

     “Yeah,” Piper said. She sat up, tugging on Jason’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go take one of the boats out on the lake.”

     Jason scooped her up in his strong arms, and she grinned at him, allowing him to fly them over the grass toward the water.

     “Just like Superman,” she teased.

#

“Hey,” Nico said awkwardly, leaning against the door to the hospital cabin.

     Will jumped.

     “Ow,” Clovis said sleepily, having just had his stitches in his arm yanked. “Oh, hey, Nico.”

     “Sorry!” Will said, dismayed. He carefully loosened his handiwork as Nico waited patiently.

     “What happened?” Nico asked curiously. It wasn’t like Clovis was usually awake enough to get hurt.

     “Fell out of bed,” Clovis said sheepishly.

     “Ah.”

     “There, all set,” Will ran a hand through his blond curls.

     “Thank you,” Clovis got to his feet and moved slowly out the door. “Be seeing you, Nico.”

   “Yeah.”

     “So what are you doing here?”

     Will’s harsh tone made Nico’s eyes snap to his face. He was relieved to see Will looking more hurt than angry. Well, relieved wasn’t quite the right word.

     Nico held up what was in his hand. “I brought you an apology smoothie. Kale, wheatgrass and mango. It’s from that place you like in New York.”

     Will snorted. “Now you bring me food and visit me? This isn’t helping, you know, Sunshine.”

     “What isn’t?”

     “Being this nice to me. It reminds me why I like you.”

     Nico guessed he could understand that. It was always so much worse for him when Percy was nice, because it made him think he might have a chance. It was why he was always trying so hard to push him away.

     “I just felt-“

     “If you say ‘sorry for you’ I will curse that pretty little head of yours full of haikus from now until the springtime.”

     Nico flinched. “I was going to say like I owed you something.”

     “Not better,” Will said crossly. Nico fell silent, and the anger finally dissipated off of the blonde’s face. “Okay. Fine. I do want it.” Will took the smoothie gently from Nico. “Thanks. But you don’t owe me anything.”

     Will sat down on the edge of the cot. The rest of the room was thankfully empty. Nico twisted his ring around his knuckle. With a sigh, Will patted the space next to him.

     Nico sat down lightly. “Will, I might have been wrong.”

     The other demigod choked on green slush. “What?”

     Nico forced himself to meet his eyes. “I might have just been…I was just afraid? Of ruining our friendship?”    

     Will narrowed his eyes. “You don’t sound very sure of that.”

     Nico felt like his finger was getting ring-burn, if that was a thing. “Are we still friends?”

     “Yes!” Will sounded affronted.

     Gathering up his courage, Nico turned sideways and pressed a kiss quickly to Will’s mouth. His lips were soft and tasted like grass and kale.

     “Mmph!” The surprised noise puffed out of Will.

     A slick feeling of dread slid down Nico’s esophagus. “Oh, Hades,” he said, pulling back.

     Will took one look at his face and stood. His expression was openly crushed. “I think you should go. I’m going to need some space.” He turned, and leaned with both hands on the cot.

     Nico felt like crying. “I wanted to be wrong,” he said smally.

     “I still liked it,” Will said quietly. It felt like he drove a knife right into Nico’s heart.

     He had tried so hard not to ruin their friendship, and it had happened anyway. With a quiet sob, Nico shadow traveled right out of Camp Half-Blood, and kept going.

#

“Hey, can you not?” Will shouted crossly to Jason. The other blonde’s arrow just hit his target, but really off-center so what was even the point?

     “Sorry,” Jason called back sheepishly. “I kind of didn’t mean to do that.”

     Will frowned and aimed. Archery, he was not the best at. He needed to do something violent though, and this was the closest he could manage.

     What had Nico even been thinking? He was getting over it after a good night’s sleep. They could have been back to being good friends by now. He didn’t usually hold a grudge, because life was just too short. But coming back and kissing him out of nowhere was just low.

     He knew that Nico was kind, more kind than anyone else really seemed to give him credit for, though, and so he knew that in his messed-up, shadow-filled head of his, he was trying it out for Will’s sake.

     It didn’t help knowing he hadn’t tried to hurt Will on purpose. Really, Will should have known better than to bring it up in the first place, and especially not in public. Maybe if he’d waited and confessed his feelings to Nico alone, they could have tried out the kiss, Will could have gotten his heart broken once instead of twice, and everyone could have gone on their merry way back to normal.

     “You look serious,” Jason commented.

     “What are you even doing here, Grace?” Will huffed back.

     “I could ask you the same thing.” After a moment, Jason added, “I guess I felt like trying something new.”

     Will’s arrow finally hit the target respectably close to center. He felt a bit of satisfaction, even if it had been luck more than skill. “Careful with that,” he said a little bitterly.

     “Oh?” Jason’s voice was too casual to be casual. Will lowered his bow and turned toward him.

     “Why do I get the feeling you’re not just here for archery.” It wasn’t a question.

     Jason smiled one of his not-smiles that could actually be a little scary. “You got me. I just haven’t seen Nico since he disappeared from the campfire with you.”

     Will frowned. “You could have asked me in the dining hall, the infirmary or even my cabin instead of stalking me here.”

     “I guess I needed some alone time, too.”

     Somehow Jason seemed serious when he said that.

     “Oh.”

     “Well? Nico?” Jason prompted. “You two are usually glued at the hip.”

     “I could say the same about you,” Will said snarkily.

     Jason apparently thought a staring contest was in order. Unfortunately, it worked.

     _Shake it off, Will,_ he told himself. He was going to have to get over his rejection eventually, and there was really no time like the present.

     “I asked him out. He said no. It happens.”

     “What?” Jason looked shocked.

     “Yeah. Let me get back to letting off some steam now, okay?”

     “Yeah. Okay.” Jason retrieved his arrows. He paused by Will’s shoulder to clasp it. “I’m sorry, bro.”

     “It happens,” Will said again.

#

“…and he said _no._ ” Jason ended. His voice was shocked.

     Piper tried to remain patient, and reminded herself that good girls do not charmspeak their boyfriends.

     She wasn’t even sure Jason could tell her the truth even if she did, though.

     How long could she ignore it?

     Nico hadn’t been seen in a day, by Jason’s account (of course). She felt like an awful, evil, bad person, but a little part of her wondered if she would get Jason back to herself if he didn’t return.

     “I didn’t see that coming,” she said truthfully.

     “I know!”

     It was kind of like dirty dishes. You could ignore them for a pretty long time and go about your normal business. Not that she did that frequently, but…anyway. It was like that. You could let them pile up, but eventually your house would smell, or you’d get ants, or mice, or run out of plates to eat on.

     “Jason…” Piper’s throat clenched. She really, really did not want to do this.

     “What, Pipes?” He turned his blue eyes on her, looking over the rim of his glasses. “Are you okay?” His voice turned worried in a millisecond.

     She felt the tears well up in her eyes. Jason grabbed her shoulders. “Please tell me what’s wrong!”

     “How do you really feel about Nico?”

     Jason dropped his hands like he’d been burned. “What? He’s my best friend. You know that.”

     “Just tell me.”

     “Are you charmspeaking me?”  
     Hurt flashed across her chest. “You’d have answered me if I had, Jason Grace. How dare you.”

     “I’m sorry!” Jason did look sincerely apologetic. “I’m sorry. But what a question. How do you even mean that?”

     “Jason, I’m sorry too.” Finally the tears left her eyes, streaking down her cheeks. “But I think we should take a break.”

#

Jason had felt the blood leave his face at Piper’s question. But seriously, who asks their boyfriend that about their best friend?

     Jason flew through the air until he’d found the highest sturdy branch possible. He landed on it and drew his legs up to his chest. The ground below him was concealed by leaves.

     What had even just happened?

     _…Piper had broken up with him._ Piper, his real best friend, his beautiful girlfriend.

     He should have felt shell-shocked.

     He should have felt miserable.

     He should be bawling his eyes out.

     … _why did he only feel relieved?_

The guilt from that hit him like a landslide. He knew he should be crying for a different reason, but when the tears finally came, it was for her, not for him.

#

“Ugh!” Percy exclaimed, making everyone in the dining hall jump.

     Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him as the other campers started laughing at themselves. “Yes?”

     “What is with this place lately? Yo, Grace! Sparring, you and me, right after this!” Percy yelled across to the Zeus table.

     “Nah, bro, don’t feel like it, sorry,” Jason called back.

     “See?” Percy jabbed his fork at him and gave Annabeth puppy-dog eyes. “Everyone’s freaking depressed.”

     “Well, if the rumors are true, Nico rejected Will Solace,” Annabeth said diplomatically. “Will’s one of the happier people at camp. He keeps everyone rallied. That will blow over.”

     “Yeah, but Piper and Jason?” Percy stage-whispered. “I mean, who saw that coming?”

     Annabeth gave a light shrug.

     “Oh, come on,” Percy said disgustedly. “No way do I buy that.”

     “They’re both great people, but a real relationship doesn’t really start like that. It’s not like they chose to be together.”

     “The war’s over. We shouldn’t be living like this,” Percy said dramatically.

     Annabeth punched him in his arm. “It’s been two weeks, Seaweed-brain. Give them time.”

     “Well, maybe Nico will spar with me,” Percy decided. “Hey Jason! Where’s Nico at?”

     Surprisingly, it was Will Solace who spoke up. “He left camp two weeks ago.”

     Percy slumped back into his seat. “Well, there goes that plan.”

     “Have you heard from him, Jason?” Will called.

     Jason’s face looked shocked, for some reason. Percy frowned. Nico leaving camp wasn’t anything new. Jason got up and dumped the rest of his food as an offering.

     Annabeth nudged him suddenly. “Maybe you should go talk to him.”

     Percy ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay. Jason, wait up!”

     “Don’t worry about it, Percy.” Jason called over his shoulder, very much not waiting up.

    Percy sat back down with a frown at Annabeth.

#

“Do you know you’ve been gone for more than two weeks?” Jason plopped down with a sigh next to the small dark-haired figure on the roof. Said dark-haired figure let out an undignified yelp and almost gored him with his Stygian-iron sword, except Jason had been expecting it and blasted a burst of air out to deflect it.

     “I almost killed you, Jason!” Nico shrilled. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

   “Hazel told me where you were,” Jason said easily. Nico had gotten to his feet, Jason sat down. He’d been flying for what felt like forever, and he was tired.

   “That’s half the question,” Nico pointed out.

     “I was worried about you,” Jason said honestly. “Will told me what happened.”

   “We’re in Italy,” Nico pointed out rather obviously. “You flew to Italy to find me?”

     “Yeah,” Jason laughed a little humorlessly.

     Cautiously, Nico sat down next to him. He was eyeing him sideways like he couldn’t trust him, and that hurt a little.

     “You didn’t have to run away just because you turned Solace down,” Jason stated. “People turn down people all the time.”

     Nico twisted his ring on his finger. “That’s not exactly why I left. Although yeah, I guess I thought Will could use some space.”

     Jason blinked at him. “Why are you here then?”

     Nico’s eyes were flitting around nervously. The cityscape of Milan stretched before them. The glow of sunset reflected off of the glass windows of the buildings. “I needed some time to think.”

     “Are you ready to come back yet?”

     “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

     Jason cocked his head at him. Nico wasn’t making any sense. He’d been doing so much better lately, or so it had seemed. He was sure hurting someone you counted as a close friend was hard, but running away forever seemed drastic, even for the son of Hades.

     “I’m sorry you came all this way, Jason,” Nico sighed.

     “I’m not,” Jason replied, frowning.

     Nico still didn’t meet his eyes.

     “Nico, what’s going on?”

     “…I realized something. It’s not good. So you should probably just leave.”

     There it was, the upset underneath his stoic demeanor. Jason heard it trembling just beneath Nico’s flat tone.

     Jason looked away from him, out toward the trees at the edge of the city. “Piper and I broke up.”

     “What?” Nico almost screeched. Finally, some eye contact. His dark orbs were wide as they met Jason’s blue ones.

     Jason shrugged one shoulder. “And the weirdest thing? I miss her, but I’m not sorry I’m not with her. I mean, it’s been weird not to be with her, but not wrong. Does that even make any sense?” He laughed quietly, because he felt like an idiot. He should have been sorrier that Piper broke it off with him. She was amazing. She was perfect.

     …just not perfect for him.

     He looked at Nico. The smaller demigod was frowning heavily, spinning that skull ring of his double fast around his wiry finger.

     “I think you should go,” Nico said, almost too low to hear.

   “Really?” Jason asked incredulously. “I tell you something like that, and that’s what you say? I thought we were friends!”

     “We are, and I want to keep it that way,” Nico replied, which made no sense at all, in Jason’s expert opinion.

     “I could use a friend right now,” Jason said softly. “At least talk to me about what’s going on with you. What did you realize that was so terrible you left camp?”

     Nico’s lips twisted. He looked away. When he looked back at Jason, his eyes were so determined that Jason almost leaned back from him. “I guess I’m not planning to go back there anyway,” he said.

     Then he kissed him.

     Dumbstruck, Jason felt himself reciprocate anyway. His heart was beating erratically in his chest. Nico cupped his face with two strong, cool hands. Jason deepened the kiss automatically, his own hands coming up to cradle Nico’s head.

     Was he gay?

     Did it matter?

     …how had Piper known?

     Nico broke off the kiss suddenly with a little gasp. His eyes were wild, his lips full and red. “But you’re not…why did you kiss me back?”

     Jason laughed. “Why do you think I flew all the way to Italy?” The realization hit him as he said the words aloud.

     He liked Nico di Angelo as more than a friend, and probably had for a long while.

    It was a good thing Nico had come to the same conclusion.

#

“Hey, Pipes,” Jason said cautiously.

     “Hey, Jason.” Piper said. “Can you give us a minute?” She turned to Lacy and Mitchell, who had been helping her with a project for their cabin. The two looked between them with wide eyes before nodding and running off. They were obviously whispering to each other when they stopped a few yards away, though.

     Jason sighed. “So I guess you heard?”

     Piper smiled grimly. “Who hasn’t?”

     “How did you know? I mean, you did know, didn’t you?”

     “Jason, no one talks about their friends that much unless they like them as more than a friend.” Piper rolled her eyes. There was a moment when she just looked sad, but it was gone in the next. She smiled at him genuinely. “I am happy for you and Nico, you know. Like you’ve said, he deserves someone like you.”

     Jason gestured helplessly. “How can you still say that when I did this to you?”

     “I broke up with you, remember?” Piper said lightly. There was a bit of steel underneath her voice. “You don’t choose who you love.”

     “I miss you,” Jason said.

     “I miss you, too.”

     “Are we good?”

     “Not yet.”

     Jason’s heart sunk.

     Piper punched him gently on the arm. “But we will be.”

#

“There you are.”

     Nico looked up guiltily as Will Solace took a seat beside him.

     “You’ve been inseparable from Grace, you know,” Will said casually. “He’s teaching now though, right?”

     Nico nodded, not quite able to meet Will’s eyes.

     “Hey,” Will said.

     Nico looked up. Will smiled at him, and it was radiant. He’d missed him so much. Nico swallowed around the lump in his throat. Part of him, a small part, wished he could have felt something more for Will. But Jason just felt _right._ He wasn’t as bossy as Will was, for one thing – Nico didn’t feel like he had to keep his mental guard up. Talking with Will was sometimes like sparring. Most of the time he liked that, but he wanted to feel like he had a safe haven, someone who really got him and didn’t push at him all the time. Jason gave that to him. A place where he could just _be._

     Of course, Will did that too. It was just different.

     “It’s okay,” Will said.

     Nico blinked. “Really?”

     “Yeah. I kind of figured that was why you turned me down. I could see the way you looked at him when you were together. It makes it a little better, since you knew him first, or at least well first.”

     “Sun is warm again / Cold stone heart inside my chest / You are important.” What the _Hades?_

     Mortification blazed through him. Where had that come from? Nico opened his mouth and closed it again. He’d meant to say he was glad they were friends again, that was it. He narrowed his eyes at the son of Apollo.

     Will was outright laughing at him. “Okay, now we’re good.”

     “A traitorous friend / Evil waits in the sunlight / A poisonous snake.”

     “Okay, okay,” Will chuckled. “There.”

     “You’re a jerk,” Nico said, but he grinned back at Will and held out his hand. “Friends?”

     Will took it, and pulled him into a quick hug. “Yeah, Sunshine. Friends.”

#

Nico stepped out of the shadows. Jason was sitting with his legs dangling over the side of his cabin, staring up at the moonlight. Nico smiled gently and watched him for a moment. He liked it when he could catch Jason with his guard down. He was getting better, but he was still so worried about doing and being the right thing that it was sometimes hard to find Jason just being Jason.

     Finally he went over and sat down next to him. Maybe Jason had known he was there after all; if he’d been surprised, he didn’t show it. He smiled at Nico, then extended one of his arms, hovering it expectantly in the air.

     Nico scooted sideways until he was pressed lightly against Jason’s side. Jason’s arm fell across his shoulders like a blanket. He gave Nico a gentle squeeze.

     “We sat up here so much and I guess I always wanted it to be like this,” Jason said thoughtfully.

     Hesitantly, Nico put his own arm around Jason’s back. It still felt weird to have that much contact with another person, but somehow, it was good-weird and he thought he could get used to it pretty quickly.

     Jason straightened, as if he hadn’t been expecting Nico to reciprocate his touch like that, but he relaxed almost immediately, and even let out a happy sigh.

     “Hey,” Nico said.

     Jason looked at him. He looked happy, but nervous. Nico leaned upward and kissed him.

     It was slow and deep. His heart sped up. This was what he’d been looking for.

     When they broke away again for air Jason was grinning at him. “I think this is what I’ve been looking for,” Jason said.

     Nico blinked, a little shocked at having Jason echo his thoughts out loud.

     “Can I kiss you again?” Jason asked.

     Nico thought about it for a moment, then reached a decision. He still didn’t like being touched, but that rule didn’t apply to Jason. “You don’t have to ask.”

     “Really?” Jason sounded taken aback.

     “Really.”

     Jason gave him beautiful smile that was worth pretty much everything to Nico. He pulled him closer, and their lips met.

 

 

 


End file.
